Orson Clark-12/14/81 - Pg 30

one on the depositing in the bank or in stock or something.

Interviewer: it was mainly Ezra T.'s money that financed the bank, wasn't it?

Orson Clark: As far as I know, in the earlier years as I knew of it, it was pretty much owned by the Clarks. You would hear people tell it was the Clarks bank clear up when I was in Idaho. I ran onto several that would say, "It's the Clark bank, it's the Clarks that own the bank.

Interviewer: What kind of personality did he have?

Orson Clark: Who, Uncle Amasa?

Interviewer: Yes.

Orson Clark: He was good. He was Bishop for sixteen years. He was a very likable sort of fellow. He was good with the kids, the youngsters growing up when he was Bishop. In his financial way, he was you might say close. Like I told you before, he was going to be sure when he loaned money that he was going to get it back.

Interviewer: Did he ever favor relatives over non-relatives?

Orson Clark: I don't think so, not that I knew of.

Interviewer: He handled them equally.

Orson Clark: One of the bases that he used was that if a man is a tithe payer, he is going to pay his bills so he would lend him the money. That was his base.

Interviewer: And being Bishop, he knew who paid tithing!

Orson Clark: Yes. In fact, he would tell the people, "You pay your tithing and that's one of the bases that's used." When his father died, he was left a little strip of ground, twelve acres right on the Clark Lane on the south side. That was his inheritance. You see, Ezra T. before he died, he figured on giving ten acres of ground to each one of his children. So he had a little land. That was Amasa's.

Interviewer: Did he farm it?

Orson Clark: Not very much. As I remember as a youngster, he used to help a little sometimes in the hay. He would come out from the bank and help. But he didn't spend much time in farming.

Interviewer: Did he lease his land or did he sell it?

Orson Clark: No, he held it. Don't ever think he would sell